Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. L. W. -BREWSTER 8v R. SWIFT.

"GAR COUPLING.

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(No ModeLz).

. 2 sheets-sheet 2. BREWSTER & R. SWIFT.

GAR UOUPLING.

Patented May 28, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

YLEWIS WILLIAM BREVSTER AND ROBERT SWIFT, OF PALMYRA, TENNESSEE.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,070, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed March 6, 1889. Serial No. 302,087. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that we,LEwIs WILLIAM BREW- sTER, and'RoBER'r SWIFT, both of Palmyra, in the county of Montgomery and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and Improved Combined Automatic Car Coupler and Uncoupler, of which the following' is a full, clear, and exact descriptionf This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically coupling cars, and by means of which cars may be uncoupled by the trainnian without getting between the cars.

The invention has for its object to provide an apparatus of the above character, by means of which cars may be coupled and uncoupled without danger to life and limb.

The invention consists in an apparatus for coupling and uncoupling cars, constructed and arranged as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar igures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side View of the end of a freight-car body with the invention applied. Fig. 2 is an end view of the invention with a portion broken away. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view, partly in horizontal section, of a pair of couplings constructed in accordance with this invention in position as they are about to be uncoupled. Fig. 4 is a side view of a pair of couplings constructed in accordance with this invention in coupled position. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section thereof on the line m, Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of the coupling with parts broken away.

In carrying out this invention a frame, 1, is mounted on the bottom and end of a car, 2, and is constructed with an extended portion, 3, similar to the ordinary draw-head, and secured to the car-body as draw-heads generally are.

The extended portion 3 serves asabumper with a similar portion on a meeting car, end to end therewith, and also by means of a coupling-pin, 4, may be used to couple the car 2 to an engine.

From the extended portion 3 depends an L shaped portion or bracket, 5, having mounted in its forked end 6 a frame consisting of a horizontal cross-piece, 7, with a long arm, 8,

having an inwardly-beveled end, 9, and a short arm, 10, parallel with the arm 8. The crosspiece 7 is pivoted to a pin or bolt, 11, extending through portion 7 and forked end 6, and to the bolt 11 is also pivoted the forked end 12 of a laterallylswinging horizontal coupling-hook, 13, the forked end 12 projecting over the forked end 6 of bracket 5. The outer end of the coupling-hook 13 is formed with an inclined or inwardly-beveled face, 14, locatedopposite to the beveled end 9 of the arm 8, and terminating in a point, 14.

Upon a projection, 15, on the inside of the arm 10, is mounteda flat spring, 1G, the outer end of which bears against the side of the coupling-hook 13 and serves to hold it in coupled engagement with a similar couplinghook on the end of a meeting car.

To uncouple the hook 13 without going between the cars, the following apparatus is provided. Upon a ledge or flange, 17, on the inside of the coupling-hook 13 is pivoted a cam-plate, 18, for releasing the opposite coupling-hook from engagement with the hook 13. The cam-plate 18 is formed with a curved side, 19, which corresponds in shape to and bears against the beveled face 14 on the end of hook 13, the plate 18 having a top portion, 20, extending across the top of the arm of the hook 13 and having a depending flange, 20 engaging the arm of the hook 13. Upon lthe rear of plate 18 is an arm, 2l, connected by a chain, 22, with the lower end of a vertical shaft, 23, mounted in brackets 24 on the extended portion 3 and on the top of car 2, and having' an operating hand-wheel, 25, at its upper end above the top of the car. By means of this construction the cam-plate 18 may be operated from the top of the car and moved by the turning of the shaft 23 and the winding of the chain 22 thereon to press the coupling-hook engaging coupling-hook 13 out of engagement with the latter.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The beveled end 9 of arm 8 and the beveled face 14 on the end of hook 13, lying adjacent to each other so as to form a V- shaped recess, upon the approach of two cars together the point 14 of the coupling-hook 13 in one coupling will enter the Vshaped recess just mentioned in the opposite coupling and wedge or force apart the ends of arm 8 IOO yand the other coupling-hook 13, the crosspiece 7 of arm 8, and the hook 13, swinging on the bolt 1l, the arm of hook 13 being pressed back against the tension of spring 16 until the hooked ends of coupling-hooks 13 pass each other, when they are thrown into engagement by the reaction of springs 16, the ends of arms 8 bearing against the outside of the coupling-hooks 13 and holding them in engagement. By means of this arrangement it will be seen that the coupling- .hooks 13 are permitted to have an endwise play upon one another to accommodate themselves to the endwise movement of the cars, the extended portions 3 limiting this movement and serving as buffers. In order to uncouple the coupling-hooks without going between the cars, it is simply necessary to rotate the shaft 23 by means of the hand-wheel 25 at the top of the car, thereby winding the chain 22 on the shaft 23, drawing on the arm 21 of the cam-plate 18, and causing the latter to have a cam action on the face 14 of the opposite coupling-hook 13 and to move it out of engagement .with the hook 13, on which the operating cam-plate 18 is located. VIn order to'hold the coupling-hook 13 at one side, so that it will be prevented from coupling when making up trains or for any other purpose, the shaft 23 is provided with a ratchetwheel, 26, adjacent to hand-wheel 25 and held by a pawl, 27, on the car, when the chain 21, is wound on shaft 23 and holds hook 13 back against the tension of spring 16.

The hook 13 may be permitted to be moved into position to couple by releasing pawl 27 from wheel 26.

If both cam-plates 18 are operated simultaneously, of course the uncoupling will be facilitated and hastened.

By means of this invention an effective and safe coupling will be provided, which will readily couple automatically and securely, and which may be uncoupled without going between the cars.

While we have set forth a specific construction of parts, we do not desire to limit ourselves thereto, as the parts may be varied without departing from the essential features of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An apparatus for coupling and uncoupling cars, consisting of a bumper, a horizontally-swinging frame mounted on the bumper parallel therewith and having a couplinghook guard arm, a horizontally swinging coupling-hook located within the horizontally-swinging frame and parallel with the guard-arm, a spring acting on the couplinghook to holdv it toward the guard-arm, acamplate pivoted to the coupling-hook with a projecting arm, and a shaft mounted on a car with a hand-wheel at its upper end and a chain at its lower end connected to the projecting arm on the cam-plate, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an apparatus for coupling and uncoupling cars, a horizontally-,swinging frame with a coupling-hook guard-arm, a horizontally-swinging coupling-hook located Within the horizontally-swinging frame and parallel with the guard-arm, a spring acting on the coupling-hook to hold it toward the guardarm, a cam-plate pivoted to the couplinghook, and mechanism on the car for operat- 'ing the cam-plate, substantially as specified.

3. In an apparatus for coupling and uncoupling cars, the extended portion 3, shaped as a draw-head and serving as a bumper and having the depending bracket 5, a horizontally-swinging frame pivoted to the bracket 5 and consisting of the coupling-hook guardarm 8 with the inwardly-beveled end 9, the cross-piece 7, and the short arm 10, the horizontally-swinging coupling-hook 13, located between the arms 8 and 10 and parallel thereto and having the inwardly-beveled face 14 at its outer end opposite the beveled end 9 of arm 8, and the spring 16, mounted on arm 10 and holding the coupling-hook 13 toward arm 8, substantially as specified.

4. An apparatus for coupling and uncoupling cars, consisting of the draw-head and bumper 3, with the depending bracket 5, the horizontally swinging frame pivoted to bracket 5 and consisting of the coupling-hook guard-arm 8, with inwardly-beveled outer end 9, the cross-piece 7, and short arm 10, the horizontally-swinging coupling-hook 13, located within the horizontally-swinging frame parallel with arm 8 and formed with the point 14 and the inwardly-beveled face 14 at its outer end, the shelf 17, the cam-plate 18,

lWith curved face 19, pivoted o n the shelf 17 IOO IIO 

